'China is an empire': Hong Kong independence talk held amid protests

Posted by kuailai99 on August 16th, 2018

A hotly anticipated speech by a pro-Hong Kong independence activist went ahead Tuesday at the city's Foreign Correspondents' Club, amid government pressure and protests by pro-China groups.To get more chinese news in english, you can visit shine news official website. Andy Chan, founder of the Hong Kong National Party addressed a packed house and tens of thousands on a live Facebook feed, equating Hong Kong's position under China to its former colonial past.

"We were once colonized by the Brits, and now we are colonized by the Chinese, where is our right to determine our own future?" said Chan, who also warned that Hong Kong could follow the path of Tibet and Xinjiang, where China has recently been accused of imprisoning hundreds of thousands of Uyghur Muslims. The FCC said it received "representations" from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Hong Kong, though it did not elaborate on what was communicated.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she "regretted" the FCC's decision to host Chan, while her predecessor, CY Leung, repeatedly called for the event to be called off. In a statement Tuesday, MOFA called Chan's speech an "abuse of freedoms of press and speech," and accused the FCC of endorsing his views. A perceived attempt by the government to censor Chan's talk made front page news in Hong Kong, and the event attracted a huge media presence, as well as protests by groups calling for it to be canceled, and for the implementation of an anti-sedition law.

"By virtue of its historical, geographical and cultural difference, Hong Kong is a truly separate entity from the so-called Chinese nation," Chan said, describing China as an empire. Protesters outside the club waved the Chinese flag and displayed banners warning of a "conspiracy to split Hong Kong from China" and calling for the implementation of an anti-sedition law. At one point, a fire engine arrived and a large crew of emergency services staff rushed into the building to respond to what turned out to be a false alarm. Speaking to CNN before the talk, Chan said he was surprised by the amount of pressure which had been brought to bear on the FCC, an elite institution which has had a presence in Hong Kong since the 1940s and frequently hosts politicians and dignitaries.

Like it? Share it!


kuailai99

About the Author

kuailai99
Joined: May 4th, 2018
Articles Posted: 229

More by this author